Brown booby chick spotted for the first time in Channel Islands nest

For the first time, researchers have spotted a brown booby chick in a nest at Channel Islands National Park.

The tropical bird known for its webbed feet and steep dives was seen for a few years nesting off Santa Barbara Island, one of five islands in the park off the Ventura County coast.

But last week was the first time biologists confirmed a chick.

For years considered a rare visitor, the National Park Service reported only 16 brown booby sightings in 30 years starting in the mid-1980s.

Then in 2013, the seabirds were first seen roosting in small numbers on Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands. Two years later, more than 170 were counted at Santa Barbara Island, researchers said.

The chick spotted last week was in a nest on Sutil Rock off Santa Barbara Island, the southernmost part of the park and about 54 miles from Ventura.

More:Brown boobies spotted nesting for the first time on the Channel Islands

Brown boobies lay their eggs on the ground and then pull sticks, rocks, bones and vegetation around them.

The National Park Service and the California Institute of Environmental Studies worked on monitoring the birds locally.

Researchers called the successful nest a signal of a northward expansion of the bird's known breeding range in the Gulf of California and along the Pacific coast of Mexico. The closest breeding colony is located on the Coronado Islands off Northern Baja California.

They likely moved because of a change in resources. Showing up here means they found enough to eat and places to roost and nest on the islands.

With the addition of brown boobies, 14 breeding seabirds now rely on the remote, undisturbed nesting grounds on the Channel Islands, said park Superintendent Ethan McKinley in a news release.

More:Blue-footed boobies spotted off Ventura County

Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.